Category Archives: Various

Spot the mistake in this sentence: “That is a belief in which we do not believe in.” The mistake? A prepositional doubling-up (“That is a belief IN which we do not believe IN.”). Other frequent examples: “The theory of which … Continue reading →

Age. The verb to age has to do with growing older, but the implication is generally that the person should be relatively close to old age (i.e. children don’t normally “age”) and that it is showing in their looks. Both … Continue reading →

Visit vs. attend. Here’s an easy way to remember the difference between “to visit” and “to attend”: To visit means to go to some place or person to spend some time there, usually in your free time. e.g. “Why don’t … Continue reading →

The slash… Try not to use it to separate synonyms: “I went into the woods and saw a giant/huge toad.” A sentence like that leaves the reader wondering: 1) What is there a difference between “giant” and “huge”? 2) If … Continue reading →

Using expressions from other languages is risky and fine and replete with an “I don’t know what.” A well-placed French or Latin or Slovenian expression can contribute to the impression of a well-educated writer. However, there are other dangers. First, … Continue reading →

Patterns with consider… The verb “consider” is normally transitive, but the usage depends on the meaning: 1) “He considers me stupid” means “He thinks that I am stupid.” 2) “Please consider me as a partner” means “Please think about making … Continue reading →

The best of … construction: It’s perfectly ok to say “under the best circumstances” or “under the best conditions,” but this is not the best possible way of expressing this idea. In these particular cases, you can up the level … Continue reading →